How To Create an Italian tax code – Codice Fiscale

The codice fiscale or Italian tax code which some Italian shopping and travel web sites require before certain operations can be carried out has caused a number of readers problems when they want to pay fines, buy tickets to museums in Florence, Venice and Rome and shoponline in Italy.

Online stores or online ticket sales services based in Italy may request an Italian tax code before any purchase can be made. No codice fiscale, no ticket for an interesting attraction, or no interesting wine from a producer in Italy.

September 2015 update: I mentioned the codice fiscale issues to someone who works for a major credit card issuer and processor in Italy. Very kindly, this gentleman, Luca Gentile, carried out some inquiries. He told me that there’s no obligation under Italian law for e-commerce websites based in Italy to request an Italian codice fiscale tax code from purchasers who are not Italian. Even Italian law acknowledges that non-Italians cannot be expected to possess Italian tax codes. What this means is that there is no need for Italian websites to request a codice fiscale from foreign purchasers. The problem is that may do, most probably because they do not, on the face of it, expect foreign purchasers. Except some obviously do because sections of websites may well be available in English and other languages.

What does this mean to anyone creating a codice fiscale to shop on Italian websites? Well, by creating a codice fiscale, they are probably not (but I need to ask lawyers about this and will do) breaking any Italian laws because they are a) not Italian and b) not resident in Italy.

Hopefully, Italian e-commerce websites will wake up and stop asking foreign shoppers for a codice fiscale – who knows just how many sales have been lost because a codice fiscale is requested? I’m willing to bet it’s a lot and this post on the subject has been around since 2008 and, in 2015, it continues to get lots of visitors daily.

I checked the website of the Doge’s Palace in Venice and a website selling tickets for the Uffizi Gallery and other attractions in Florence. Thankfully, neither now request an Italian codice fiscale tax code for purchasers located in the United States and United Kingdom. End of update.

Note that if you are not based in Italy, you may be able to ignore codice fiscale tax code fields in online forms and still be able to complete purchases. If you are unable to proceed with a purchase from an Italian website – which may well be why you arrived here – then read on.

At the end of this article, you’ll also find instructions on how you might be able to recover a lost officially issued Italian tax code – codice fiscale.

What is the Italian Tax Code – Codice Fiscale?

The Codice Fiscale is an alpha numeric code which is assigned to all Italians at birth. Anyone who comes to live and work in Italy will need an Italian tax code. I have one, even though I am not Italian.

If you are not Italian, or not resident in Italy, you will not have an Italian tax code. This means you may not be able to use Italian websites which request an Italian tax code before you can buy things like goods offered for sale by Italian ecommerce websites, advance tickets to Italy’s museums and other tourist attractions.

If you need a real Italian tax code (codice fiscale), you will also find instructions in this post on where to go to get one.

The Italian tax code is known as a Codice Fiscale in Italy

Before explaining how to use an online system to create a codice fiscale, be aware that if you ever need a real Italian tax code, the one you create using the system mentioned here may not be 100% accurate.

Problems can occur if more than one person has a similar name and surname, was born on exactly the same date and in the same ‘commune’. OK, so these situations are going to be rare, but I thought I should mention this – just in case.

Note, again, that the code you create with this system is not official – to create a real codice fiscale you need to come to Italy, get up early and go stand in a queue – see below.

Note too, if you are in Italy and you try to use the codice fiscale you create with the system below as a legal tax code, you may well end up with a visit from Italy’s police – be warned.

Incidentally, I used the system below to calculate my own codice fiscale and the result was exactly the same as my actual official Italian codice fiscale code – but this is not always the case. As I mentioned at the start of this ‘how to’, I have a codice fiscale because I live and work in Italy, even though I am not Italian.

Information on how to obtain an official codice fiscale follows the unofficial codice fiscale creation section.

Now, if you just want an unofficial Italian tax code to use on some Italian online store or other, here is how you can do it:

Italian Tax Code Creation Instructions

Remembering that this process will not create an official Italian tax code – Codice Fiscale (Yes, I know I keep repeating this – if I don’t, you may forget, and moan), first of all, you will need to go to this site: http://www.paginebianche.it/codice-fiscale (The link will open in a new window/tab, so you can refer to the instructions which follow.)

After you click, you should see a screen which looks something like this:

A Unofficial Italian Tax Code Calculator – by Pagine Bianche

Now, here are instructions on how to use the Italian tax code calculation system.

First, enter your:

Nome = First Name (from your passport) – Mark

Cognome = Surname – Jones

Sesso = sex – select Femmina, if you are a woman, or Maschio, if you are a man. Femmina may be pre-selected.

Ignore the ‘Se sei nato in Italia‘ box, unlessyou were born in Italy. Instead, do this:

Click on the greyish ‘Se sei nato all’estero‘ box. At first glance it does not look as if it will not work, but it will.

A drop down menu will then present you with a choice of countries. Choose yours – you will need to know the Italian name for your nation. ‘Gran Bretagna’ = Great Britain, ‘Stati Uniti’ = United States, etc, etc.

Enter your Data di Nascita – Date of Birth

First box – Giorno = day – select a number eg 21

Second box – Mese = month – select a month eg Aprile (April)

Months in Italian and English

Gennaio – January
Febbraio – Feburary
Marzo – March
Aprile – April
Maggio – May
Giugno – June
Luglio – July
Agosto – August
Settembre – September
Ottobre – October
Novembre – November
Dicembre – December

Third box – this is where you select theyear you were born.

Next, click on the ‘Calcola‘ button. Again, note that this does not create an official Codice Fiscale, as has already been pointed out more than a few times.

Below the form you have just completed you should see your very own, unofficial, Italian tax code – codice fiscale –

Now you can whiz off to acquire an unlocked Apple iPhone, buy a ticket to the Doge’s Palace Venice, or order something from an online shop based in Italy which asks you for an Italian tax code.

If You Need an Official Italian Tax code – Read This

PLEASE NOTE: The system mentioned on this page does not produce an official Italian tax code (Codice Fiscale). If you need an official Codice Fiscale, then you must go to the offices of the Agenzia Delle Entrate. There is more information, in English, on the Italian Agenzie Delle Entrate website: Health and Tax Code Section – note that the address of this web page changes from time to time. If the link does not work when you click, let me know via a comment. Link last checked on April 7th, 2015.

To get a real codice fiscale, you will need an identity document. A passport, or birth certificate for young children, will be enough.

It is possible to obtain a Codice Fiscale via the Italian consulate in London in the United Kingdom. Instructions on how to do this can be found here. Your United Kingdom issued Codice Fiscale will take between one and a half and two months to arrive.

In Italy, if you are lucky, you can get one in a morning.

Other Italian consulates and embassies around the world may also offer a similar codice fiscale creation service.

Get there Early

The offices issuing the codice fiscale in Italy are usually open from 8am in the morning until 1pm in the afternoon. It is a good idea to get there at or before opening time – or you may have to come back the next day. In the bigger Italian cities, queues are likely to be long meaning that a morning off work is advisable. If you tell your Italian boss where you are going, he or she should understand. Many companies in Italy will help you with the creation of a codice fiscale, and may even go do the queuing for you.

The codice fiscale serves in Italy as both a tax and health code.

Have You Lost Your Official Codice Fiscale?

At some time in the past, maybe you came to Italy and worked for a while, as an English teacher, perhaps. If so, you were probably issued an official Italian codice fiscale. Years later, you want to purchase something online from Italy and you cannot find your Italian tax code. It happens.

In this case, first of all try to find some official documentation which may contain your codice fiscale – you may find it on utilities bills, mobile phone contracts, invoices, or old tax documents. If however, you cannot unearth your long lost Italian codice fiscale, here’s something else you can try.

The words “Codice Fiscale Valido” indicate that the code you are checking is valid. Well done, you have found your old Codice Fiscale tax code. The only problem is that the official system does not tell you the name of the person who holds the verified code. You can be around 99% certain that the person is you though.

HELLO,
I WAS ABOUT TO BUY SOMETHING ON THE INTERNET FOR MY GIRLFRIEND WHO STUDIES IN MILANO FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF (FOSSIL) WHEN A REQUEST OF VAT TAX CODE JUST POPPED. THE PROBLEM THAT NEITHER I NOR MY GIRLFRIEND ARE ITALIANS. SO WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THIS WORK?

You should not need to enter a tax code and the site may not ask you for one if your place of origin is not Italy. Alternatively, go buy the item on another website that does not request a tax code. Amazon Italy is a good place to look.

I tried to purchase something from an Italian online vendor with payment through PayPal, but the vendor emailed me and said that the order could not be processed unless I provided my date of birth and birthplace?

Is this normal? It is generally advised not to provide such information due to identity theft. The vendor said Italian fiscal law requires it.

From the above article: “…there’s no obligation under Italian law for e-commerce websites based in Italy to request an Italian codice fiscale tax code from purchasers who are not Italian.” so your date of birth and birthplace are not required under Italian law – unless you are Italian and I don’t think you are. Not all vendors in Italy are aware of this.

Identity theft could be a problem depending on the reputation of the seller so you’ll have to decide whether or not to risk handing over such info to the vendor. Otherwise, look elsewhere for for what you want, just in case.

Remember that this is an unofficial code so it’s not guaranteed to work. If it didn’t work on another site then you may have created a code which is already in use and associated with another person or else you made a mistake.

By the way, have noticed that some Italian sites remove the requirement for the fiscal code for those not resident in Italy – but not all websites do this. If you can find what you are looking for elsewhere, try another site but I know this is not always easy.

Just had my codice fiscale issued in London but its been issued in my maiden name. I was born in Italy now living in uk with British Passport with married name on this. Could this cause problems for me in Italy dealing with property purchace -opening bank account? Can a codice fiscale be re issued to me with same name as on my passport?

Hmmm, have not had to deal with this question before. Married women in Italy rarely change their maiden names. I suppose technically, you should apply for a revised codice fiscale so that the names on the passport and the codice fiscale match otherwise problems might arise but you’ll only find out when the time comes. I suggest you ask the Italian embassy in London about this and hope they’ll give you an answer.

If you don’t get an answer, let me know and I’ll ask some lawyers I know here in Italy.

Hi Alex, bet you wish you had never started this after all the questions you have received. But thanks for making the effort. My questions is I am going to Rome for a few days holiday with my girlfriend and we fancy taking in a football match. Do you think I would be ok to generate a tax code to purchase the tickets and send them to the address where we are staying? Cheers Clive

Hi Paul – theoretically, as I understand it, you don’t have to pay the VAT as it would be the same as tax free shopping for non EU tourists in bricks and mortar shops – however, I’m not sure Italy’s ecommerce operations are able to process tax free shopping sessions. Something like this should happen when you enter US as your address but that will depend on how sophisticated the ecommerce system being used is.

Thanks for this post. I want a codice fiscale to open a bank account here. I lead tours in Italy, and it seems much easier to access cash (which everyone wants) from an Italian account than bringing it over here or hitting a bancomat every day.

So my question is: Does having a bank account chang emy tax status at all?

The answer re your tax status depends on how much time you spend in Italy. As I understand it, (http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/taxes/income-taxes-abroad/italy/index_en.htm) spend more than 183 days in Italy in one 12 month period and you become liable for taxes in Italy. Having a bank account in Italy won’t make much of a difference re your tax status but the Italian taxman may, one fine day, request that you prove you have spent less then 183 days in Italy. Could you? While such a request may never happen, being prepared for it is probably a good idea.

Getting a bank account in Italy may not be easy unless you have an address here which means you have applied for and got residency. However, with the right contacts, it is possible to get a bank account here without being a resident – although a valid codice fiscale will most probably be required.

I’d suggest speaking to your nation’s chamber of commerce in Italy and/or speaking to an accountant about this too.

Hi Alex You seem very well clued up !
I wonder if you can help. I need a codice fiscale and have applied via the consul and don’t expect a problem but … my sister also needs one but her passport has expired. Do you know if (when using the online application ) they will accept other photo ID such as a UK driving licence ? We need the codes for a small inheritance ( a share in a deceased parents property )
Many thanks

A birth certificate or copy of your sister’s driving licence should suffice – both will help. Provided the identity of the person concerned is clear, Italy seems to be happy to hand out tax codes to more or less anyone who asks for one.

Just to be clear for me.
If I use the unoficial code only to buy train or museums tickets in sites, being a tourist, I will not have any problems with the local police, won’t I? And if I want to buy a SIM card, its ok ?

It’s an unofficial code – as has been stated countless times – so if you are caught then you could, in theory, have problems. Not that I’ve ever heard of anyone having problems, but that’s not to say it has not happened. Up to you. Use this information at your own risk.

My name laurens from Indonesia, if one organization/ company non Italian resident have tax clearance (ex. exception from VAT subject) which has authorized by Italian Tax Office , do we have to get official tax code to those who has appointed by the organization/ company to represent in contract or other legal documents ?

Sorry, but your question is beyond my knowledge. For an answer to your question you should either ask an accountant or contact Italy’s tax authorities. If you like, I can put you in touch with an Italian accountant who could answer your question.

I’m just wondering whether obtaining a codice simply in order to do things such as get a SIM card etc. whilst in Italy for a few weeks means that I would then also be, inadvertently, be declaring myself domiciled in Italy for tax purposes (it is a tax code after all). That is not my intention as I won’t be resident there, just a tourist.

As for the tax code thing actually tying you into Italy’s tax system – don’t worry. You won’t be declaring yourself domiciled in Italy – that only happens when you seek residency somewhere – and that involves a visit from the police to your home address in Italy.

Even with a tax code, you will only be considered a tourist. I haven’t heard any stories of former tourists receiving tax demands from Italy after their holidays here! Hopefully, I never will!

I’m looking to use this code to get a mobile sim card (and possibly mobile broadband as well) possible on a short ccontract, but more likely on pay as you go – would using an unofficial tax code cause problems here? I’m only in Italy for 3 months and am not getting paid (at least not by anyone Italian) while I’m here.

If you are in Italy, I’d recommend getting an authentic codice fiscale. If you use the code created by the system linked to here, there’s a remote possibility you could cause yourself problems even if it may work. Attempt to use an unofficial code at your own risk!

Bored at work today, for kicks I thought I’d generate my unofficial Codice Fiscale. I do a lot of ordering of DVD’s from IBS.IT but they have never required one. In the US it’s a Social Security Number that allows an employer to pay you, but we have a poor system for verifying whether the numbers are legit. When I did bookkeeping for a restaurant we regularly had Mexican workers with questionable legal status, but California does not put the responsibility on the business owner to verify social security numbers. Once a year we’d get a letter stating the names didn’t match the numbers and then the employee would just go to his “sources” and get a new number. So I’m curious if there is a large problem in Italy with fake documentation for workers?

Hey. Your article is very helpful!
I studied in Italy a year ago and have issued an official code from the agency (yes woke up early and all…)
I am back now in Rome and want to regain it. If I generate via the website I will get the same one? Or should I contact the university I attended to ask them? I am back to Rome for work so need my real code.
Thank you
Roni

Hi Roni – you should get the same codice fiscale but I recommend you look for your official code. You should have received a credit card sized plastic card with your codice fiscale on it or else you may find it on other official documentation.

I want to buy a coffe machine from an online shop,the seller does not send to Greece,i will buy it online and a friend of me will send it to me,is it ok to use this code?I dont want to make problems to my friend.

Using the code shouldn’t cause problems for your friend unless he is Italian and in Italy – in which case, he could use his own codice fiscale code and perhaps pay too. These codes should only work when used with the correct personal information – some web sites may reject codes which are not correct. Another problem may be that the seller may only send an item to the same address as given on a credit card but, from my experience, some sites will allow buyers to purchase presents for others. This depends on the ecommerce system in use.

I just found your site while trying to make a purchase on an Italian site that requires a codice fiscale. I am surprised at how much personal identifying information is contained in them. Is there any concern in Italy regarding the privacy violation inherent in this? In the U.S., at least, knowing someone’s name, birthdate, and place of birth can be sufficient for complete identity theft. There is no way I would give that to a web site. Fortunately for me, my C.F. would not be so specific, but native Italians ought to be up in arms!

In answer to your question, no, nobody in Italy worries about the privacy implications of the codice fiscale – being asked for it as part of the online shopping process is considered perfectly normal in Italy. However, bricks and mortar stores do not ask every single customer for this codes. I’ve no idea just why Italian websites ask for the codes and simply do not understand why Italy expects non-residents to have one of these tax codes anyway. In my opinion, it’s downright ridiculous. That’s the way it is though.

So far, native Italians are not up in arms – they moan and groan but then put up with the silly Italian red tape.

I created one of this codes in order to register to the Adidas Site as I wish to purchase an item and deliver it to my family who is living there. they ask me for the code in the billing page. will something bad happen to my family member if the codice is fake? will they check for something?

Technically, you need a real code created in Italy but online stores and traffic offence fine collection agencies tend to request these codes so you can pay fines or purchase certain items. It’s not right but that’s the way it tends to be. There should be an option to tell systems you are not Italian so you will not be asked for one of these codes.

Will you cause problems for a family member by using a fake code? Very hard to tell but I have not heard of problems – but this does not mean they do not exist. If you want to play it safe, try to order the items from another site, Adidas in the UK or Ireland perhaps, and get the goods sent to Italy. You may have to make phone calls/send emails to achieve this but you can be certain it won’t cause problems for anyone.

C.A.P. is postcode, something like 20123 and Città is town or city using the name in Italian, so not Rome, but Roma.

Hi I’m planning on an extended stay in Rome and hoping to rent an apartment from an Italian and non tourist agency. I think I’m going to need a codice fiscale, but was unsure of the time frame and difficulty of acquiring it. Incidentally I’m an eu citizen. Can you help?

I’m an American here in Italy for 6 months (legally), and there’s a company that might want to use to pay me for some work. They asked about a fiscal code. Do you have a sense that more simply-generated code may work in this situation?

I’m here in a student visa, and if it takes a long time to get the code (for Americans), that’s a problem. My question was more, if someone was to use my unofficial fiscal code to pay me, what mechanism kicks into place? Does that make me liable for taxes, is the unofficial code enough so that they can deduct taxes on the payment, etc? What particular problems, if any, could result?

As far as I know, the only checks carried out regard only whether the codice is correct. Basically, you could invent an identity & create an Italian tax code. But you’d probably only want to do this if you are doing something which is not legal, maybe.

I am in Italy for business and plan to stay a long time. I do not have a visa which I understand allows a non-italian citizen to stay for more than three months. If I am living near Vicenza and do not have a visa can I still obtain a codice fiscale in order to purchase a car and rent property? Also I am a non EU citizen (US).

Sorry to hear about your problems. Please try once again using the updated Codice Fiscale calculation system – link above – and the updated instructions on this page. I have tested the system and it worked fine for me.

This worked just fine for me. I’m a dual citizen, born in the US that hasn’t gotten around to getting my official CF yet. I’ve tried to order books, etc. from Italian websites and come to a screeching halt every time. Hope this will help until I get my a** in gear and go get the ‘official’ one. Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks for your prompt reply Alex. Is it better to create a codice fiscale when I go into a TIM store in Rome as I understand they will create one for you on production of passport. Have I been correctly advised?
Regards
Will

Alex- I notice your last post re codice fiscale is Feb 14th 2011 at 10.22 am. Is the info re EE still correct and is Australia acceptable or is it Australie. Have there been any further updates re obtaining a codice fiscale as I wish to buy a TIM sim card on arrival in Rome

As for the name of your country – try Australia – if it does not work, leave another comment.

Note, as I’ve pointed out a good few times, do not use this unofficial system if you are staying in Italy for some time – you should get a real codice fiscale. What you decide to do is up to you though.